Chess - WAOS, April 2010 - NODA review

Set against a cold war background with an intricate story line Chess first played for three years in the West End in 1986 and in 1988 premiered on Broadway.

A very demanding show for a company which requires some very strong voices to take the principal leads, I was totally convinced by the characters the leads portrayed with a variety of styles, all very different and interesting. The duet “I know him so well” was excellent, and both ladies gave great performances. The four part singing, some of it in a Russian style was balanced beautifully.

The overall feel of this show was of a very high standard and the best “Chess” I have seen for some time. The inclusion of the three screens displaying events relating to the chess tournament, the TV coverage and the like worked very well and was informative and interesting. The publicity for local traders on the screen during the interval was a good marketing idea.

Nikki Mundell-Poole should be extremely pleased with this production and must have worked so hard to produce one of the best shows I have seen at Witham. Many congratulations. This felt very much like a real company effort which came across as such to the audience. I wish the society well with forthcoming productions.